Mysteries of the Heart
by williow12345
Summary: Rachel is taken from her family and friends but will she be found in time or will she find a new family in her captor.
1. Chapter 1

**I was reading a book and that's where I got this idea! The book is called **_**Stolen**_** and I don't own that or Glee.**

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Rachel Berry's fathers were going to be sorry when she got home. She was well aware that they promised to get her a new and better elliptical machine after hers broke but she couldn't very well sit idly around the house, could she? The whole reason she had gotten the exercise machine was so she could avoid leaving her house in her brightly colored workout gear and so that no one except her daddies would see her when she finally worked up a sweat.

Rachel jogged down the designated dirt path where the grass had been flattened down by all the times people had passed through. She knew she should have probably stayed on the side walk near her house but the path she was on currently provided a more rigorous workout due to the uneven land and vegetation. She could feel the beads of perspiration sliding down her neck and disappearing into her tight camisole. Rachel paused for a moment and bent over placing her hands on her upper thighs and took deep breaths.

A budding starlet always had to be in tip top shape to be able to compete with all the competition in the singing world. In order to maintain this she needed to keep to a routine everyday. Usually she would have hoped on the elliptical machine by 6:10 and worked until 7 when she had to change for school but today she had to alter that. The sun was just beginning to rise and she had decided that it was time to go home. She straightened back up and stretched her back and began to turn around but suddenly she felt something being wrapped around her mouth and hand against the back of her head.

She tried to let out a loud shriek but the item which felt like a towel prevented her from making any noises besides muffled ones. Rachel tried to struggle around to try and see who or what was happening to her but the strong hand that had been on her head moved to grasp her wrists together. She briefly wondered if she was just the victim of another school prank courtesy of the hockey or football team. "I've been waiting for this for a long time Rachel." The voice breathed down into her ear making her shudder.

Rachel tried to kick and fight back, her fathers had told her since she was a small girl to put up a fight if anyone tried to get her to go anywhere with them. She did try but as the mystery man started pulling her backwards her eyelids started to become heavy and her mind started to fog up. She couldn't think straight anymore, she could barely remember her own name as her legs went limp and her eyes closed.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Have any of you seen Rachel today?" Will Schuester addressed his Glee club at the end of the school day. "She wasn't in Spanish class today and it isn't like her to miss Glee."

"She wasn't in English today." Tina piped up as Mike took her hand and she smiled.

"I didn't see her during free period and she's always in the library during free period." Kurt looked up from the phone he and Mercedes were sharing. "I tried texting her a couple of times too but no luck.

"Alright well I guess we'll just continue without her. Santana would start us off with your song. Remember the lesson was—"

"Show your true colors. I know Mr. Schue." Santana snapped as she stood up. Sighing Will sat down on one of the plastic chairs and watched his students. All of them were bobbing their heads along to the song Santana had picked and even he had to admit the tune was catchy. Puck and Mike were attempting to dance while Finn had begun to drum on his seat.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

As soon as she tried to open her eyes Rachel had to close them immediately. They burned and hurt so badly that she wanted to cry but no tears would come. She suddenly remembered what was happening. Her fingers ghosted over the surface that she was laying on and she felt the soft material of a blanket. Her arms and legs were free, she could feel that much, but she couldn't make herself sit up. She looked down and saw that she was still fully clothed in her workout gear.

Surely no one at her school would go through this much trouble to simply 'prank' her, would they? Rachel turned her pounding her sideways to try and see where she was. It was a simple room with obviously a bed, dresser, vanity, desk, and chair. To her surprise someone was sitting in the chair. He was looking at her and even in the dim light of the room Rachel could see his piercingly green eyes and jet black hair. He looked tall, possibly as tall as Finn and he was smiling at her. Defiantly not a school prank. Rachel desperately tried to swing her legs over the side of the bed but no matter how hard she tried her mind and body seemed like they weren't connected.

"Don't do that Rachel." The man spoke all while keeping the smile on his face. "You'll hurt yourself. I had to give you a sedative so you'll feel a little off for a while." Rachel opened her mouth to speak but her mouth was too dry. "I was going to wait but when I saw you running in those clothes I couldn't help myself any longer."

"W-who are you?" Rachel finally croaked. "Where am I?"

"I'm Jason. You're with me Rachel. You're right where you belong. You've been sleeping for a long time Rachel." The man told her as he flew from his seat to the edge on the bed. "I hated drugging you with that towel Rachel. It broke my heart." The man reached out to stroke her cheek making Rachel cringe but she still couldn't move far. "My beautiful star. I've been waiting for you for such a long time and as long as you're a good girl I won't have to tie you up or use those awful drugs on you again, okay Rachel?" Jason nodded his head.

"Y-you have to let me go home." Rachel cried. "My fathers will be missing me! I need to go home!" With her adrenaline pumping she was able to finally move her limbs and she tried to fly off the bed but the man's strong arms pinned her down.

"Rachel." He said warningly. "Rachel, you need to stop that or I'll be forced to hurt you and I don't want to do that baby."

"Why are you doing this?" Rachel slumped as she whispered.

"Because I love you Rachel." He answered simply. With that Jason let go of her arms and shoved her down. "I have to go get some things together Rachel. Make yourself comfortable Rachel, this is your home now." The man slipped out of the room leaving Rachel in the eerie room all alone. Rachel silently panicked. She quickly examined her body for any marks or injuries, any pains or aches. She was in perfect condition, well not perfect. In fact she was far from it.

Satisfied that she wasn't maimed or dangerously injured Rachel swiftly got off the bed and rushed to the closed door in the room and half expected it to be lock but instead when she yanked in the knob the door flung open almost sending her straight to the floor. Beyond the door was much brighter. It looked like a regular home except less furnished; it had just the bare minimums. "I was just making you some breakfast Rachel. I want you to get all your strength back." The man smiled from his "kitchen".

Her eyes darted around the space in the rooms and she spotted a door. Hoping with all her might that the door there would too be unlocked Rachel dashed for the door ignoring the way Jason was chuckling. As she turned the knob her heart broke when it wouldn't open. "Rachel this might be your home now too but I can't trust you with going outside just yet, you might run." He called from the kitchen.

Sinking to the floor Rachel began to sob. "You have to let me go. People will be looking for me!" She yelled. "You're going to prison! My fathers are very influential! They know important people that are going to find you!" Rachel continued to yell but quieted down when she heard stomping footsteps.

"Listen to me Rachel. No one is going to be taking you away from me." Jason was millimeters away from her trembling face.

"Why me?" Rachel managed to hiccup out.

"I'll tell you that story sometime Rachel. I promise." Jason stood up and offered Rachel his hand. "Come on Rachel you need to eat. You've been asleep for three days, you need food."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Rachel! You need to eat sometime!" Rachel curled herself into a tighter ball on the bed she was on. She wasn't sure on how long she had been laying on the bed. After the man had tried to feed her she refused and he sent her, he actually sent her, to her room as punishment for being ungrateful. "Fine!" Jason snapped and even though her back was towards the door she could hear him throwing something down.

She turned over and saw a plate of what looked to be semi eatable food. It was just then that her stomach began to growl. If she really had been gone for almost four days it was only right that she be hungry. Quietly she got off the bed and padded towards the food. _If he wanted to kill her he would have done it already_, she thought as she gingerly picked up what looked like a veggie burger. _How did he know?_

Rachel slowly brought the food to her lips and chewed, as much as she hated it the man Jason was right. She would need her strength if she wanted to get away from him. She was sitting on the floor in the door way of the open door immersed in her food. "Good girl Rachel." She quickly looked up and halted her chewing. Jason was standing slightly off to the side watching her intently. She finally got her first good look at the man in clear light.

She was right. He was tall and muscularly built to where if he wanted to he could cause her serious harm. His face was angular and strong with some stubble on his cheeks and chin. His hair was short but not cropped. The way he was smiling made Rachel scoot back on the floor. "I'm not going to hurt you Rachel." He spoke. "In any way." At least he looked sincere in Rachel's mind.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Four days missing**

"What do mean Mr. Schue?" Tina's usually happy features were crumpled in horror. The whole Glee club had gathered in the school's auditorium before school.

"The police have reason to believe that Rachel didn't run away." Will took a deep breath. At first the police had chosen to believe that Rachel had simply wandered off on her own despite Rachel's fathers pleas for them to take action. "They now believe that she's been abducted." Gasps came and went around the room.

"Is that like when your pet duck gets into your stash of duct tape?" Brittany glanced sideways at Santana who cringed.

"No Britt. Mr. Schue means that the police think someone took Rachel without her permission." Santana tried to explain. She knew she wasn't the nicest to Rachel, actually she was probably the farthest from nice but she couldn't believe what Schue was telling them. The whole group had shocked and unreadable expressions. Kurt, Tina, Mercedes and even Quinn, yes the ice queen Quinn, were resolved to tears and Finn just looked like someone just twisted his puffy pyramid nipples.

She could probably speak for everyone in the room when she said that they all just thought Rachel was probably being dramatic. That she was pulling another one of her diva fits and in a couple of days everything would be normal again. She had to admit that since Finn had told her that he really wasn't interested in going to New York and that he only wanted to go at first to make her happy Rachel had been handling their breakup well.

Schuester was talking about how the police found her headband and dragging tracts leading away from the path Rachel was last on and it made Santana's stomach churn.

The only person in the room who wasn't doing, well, anything was Puck. He was just standing off to the side with his arms tightly crossed and his lips pursed. Santana wasn't really sure what had been going on between the two of them but what she did know was that every Tuesday after Rachel's extra dance lessons Puck would pick her up and on Thursdays when she would stay after school Puck would sit in the choir room until she was done.

He always claimed they were just friends and they never really did act any differently around each other. Except for the times Puck would actually show up to math class at least once a week and demand to sit next to Rachel.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Local teen Rachel Berry has been reported missing. She was last seen by her two fathers leaving their home early on Tuesday morning for a run and never returned. If anyone has any information regarding what might have happened please contact the Lima Police Force._

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel lay on her back and stared at the ceiling. It was painted white but had long cracks running up and down it. She had locked herself in the room she woke up in ever since Jason tried to tell her that she could change into the spare clothes he had picked up for her before she came to 'live' with him. She was still in the same clothes she had been in before and she was sure she smelled but she didn't have it in her to care.

She wondered what her fathers were doing right now. She knew they were probably worried sick and it broke her heart to put them through something like this. She wondered what her friends were doing. She wondered if Mr. Schue was making them sing about her disappearance, that's something she would do.

She had been lying by herself for god knows how long before the man peaked his head into the room. "Rachel get up. I need you to help me." He commanded and Rachel didn't want to test him. He was larger and obviously stronger and she didn't know what to expect from him.

She hesitantly followed the stranger into the larger living room and front entrance. "I need you to hold this while I screw them in." The man pointed to the door where a new bronze deadbolt and hinges were positioned. He was trapping her in. He was trying to make sure she never got out. "Rachel!" He shouted making her quickly place her hands were he wanted them ignoring the tears falling down her face. "Don't cry princess. Everything will be okay soon."

He made quick work of the screws and when he was finished he securely placed the screw driver in his pocket. Rachel was trying to observe everything. She was trying to figure out a way that she could manage her escape. "Go to bed now Rachel." He glanced toward the bedroom.

"No." She whispered as she shook her head. "No! No! No!" She steadily increased her volume. "I don't want to go to bed here! I want to go home! I hate you!" She screeched. The man's face visibly cringed.

"You shouldn't say such hurtful things." The man spoke though gritted teeth as he firmly gripped her arm. The amount of pressure he was applying made her want to cry out as he literally dragged her toward the room. "Sweet dreams Rachel." He yanked her close so he could hug her. With all her might Rachel rose up her hand and pummeled it against the man's back making him tense. Suddenly the man shoved her backwards and slammed the door. She heard the tell tale clicking of a lock.

She couldn't help it anymore. She broke down. Large, hot tears streamed down her cheeks as she paced around the room. She had never been a particularly angry person but as she moved she would grab anything she could and fling it around the room. Her sheets were streamed haphazardly around and the clothes hidden in the drawers of the dresser were everywhere.

She was Rachel Berry! This wasn't supposed to happen to her! She lived in Lima! Collapsing on the pile of sheets, clothes, and simple toiletries Rachel buried her face in her hands.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Six days missing**

"Noah Elijah Puckerman!" Puck cursed under his breath when he heard his mother's panicked voice as he let himself back into his house. "Where have you been? Sarah and I have been worried sick!" She cried as she finally reached him and clutched his shirt.

"I just needed some space Ma." He sighed. She defiantly had a right to be worried but he could handle himself.

"Don't ever do that to me again Noah! The whole town has been a wreck since, since Rachel went missing." She whispered. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you or Sarah." She stroked his back.

"You don't have to worry about me." To be honest he was a mess over Rachel. Since she and Finn broke up they were kind of tight. Sure Finn was still his boy but Rachel was something else entirely. She was actually cool when she wasn't going on about musicals or lecturing him about the importance of a healthy diet. As of right now though he would give anything to hear her yell at him for inappropriate language or vulgar comments just one more time.

It was just so messed up. They lived in Lima Ohio. Nothing ever happened in Lima! The biggest thing that had happened there was when Mr. O'Malley the crazy old man drove his car into the local grocery store because he had a midnight craving for chocolate. Or when Puck stole that ATM. Either one.

He tried to think of Rachel. He desperately wanted to know if she was safe, if she was warm, if she was hurt. Most of all he wanted to know where she was and why anyone would want to take her away from her home. He didn't realize he was crying until his mother handed him a tissue. He tried to remember the conversations he had with Rachel before she was gone. Only one was in his mind though.

_Puck was watching Rachel twirl around in her tight pink leotard. He knew he was staring at her ass, Rachel knew it too. That's what she got though when she got rides home from him and she knew it. It was undeniable that Rachel was hot._

"_You were early today." Rachel beamed up at him as she tried to sling her dance bag over her shoulder but Puck grabbed it from her and settled it on his shoulder._

"_Yeah well I figured you would be done soon and I was in the neighborhood doing shit so yeah." He was lying. He kind of liked to watch her dance. It was like she was in her element. Not like at school when some jerk would hassle her. The harassment however had been dying down thanks to him. He would threaten anyone who even thought about doing anything and the Puckasaurus was not someone to be messed with._

"_Sure you were Noah." Rachel giggled as she stood next to him while he loaded her things into the back of his truck. He might be a badass but when it came to Rachel she had a hard time lifting a bag of sugar and he wasn't a dick so he figured he would do it for her. Puck rolled his eyes at her smug tone._

"_Do you want to walk home?" Puck teased and she playfully swatted his arm. _

"_Noah! You're seriously demented if you think I'm going to walk home in the dark!" She huffed. "There could be serial killers or kidnappers out there!" Puck snorted._

"_We live in Lima Berry. The worst thing we have here is wannabe graffiti artists." He rolled his eyes and helped her into his truck. "And besides no one would want to kidnap you. You're too loud and bossy." Puck winked as Rachel slapped him again. "Hey! Watch the guns baby."_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

At some point during the night Rachel had fallen asleep. She was physically and mentally exhausted. She woke up to the sound of an alarm, foot steps, and then three sharp knocks on her door. "Rachel wake up." The voice spoke gruffly. Without warning the man entered the room and frowned as he looked around. "You know you're going to have to clean this up right?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"I have to go to work today Rachel. I'm trusting you to stay here by yourself." He adjusted his belt. Rachel couldn't understand what kind of job a sick minded person like he could possibly have. "I don't think you're ready to have the whole house by yourself yet so I'm afraid you'll have to stay in here." He almost looked sad. "Have a good day Rachel."

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Kind of a different thing for me so please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own Glee, Ryan Murphy does! I also don't own any songs or movies mentioned. The italics are flashbacks or thoughts! Thanks for reading!**

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

It had only taken four days for Rachel to realize that the man who had taken her was all about routines. Normally she would be the first one to appreciate someone who kept a strict schedule but this was her _kidnapper_ she was thinking about.

Rachel would remain on her small bed and early every morning she would hear the distant buzzing of an alarm, footsteps, the humming of what she believed to be a coffee machine, and then clanking around the kitchen. She would then hear knocking, her door opening, and the man's voice announcing he was leaving while he set down a plate before shutting and locking the door behind him.

He would return sometime later and she would hear more clanking, her door opening, and more food being placed down. She wasn't given much so Rachel had to take what she could get and ate every bit. The man would then leave her alone for the rest of the night and the whole cycle would start up again the next morning.

It had also taken her four days to not be able to stand the stench of herself. She felt soiled and grimy. Her teeth felt mossy and her hair was greasy. Rachel let herself wander into the adjacent bathroom. There was a sink, toilet, shower, and nothing else. Not even a window. Inside the shower was stocked with feminine products like shampoo and conditioner.

She made sure to lock the door behind her and she striped out of her clothing. Rachel let the water wash over her body. Her eyes searched around and saw a razor, one for shaving her legs and such, she made sure to make a mental note of that. She wanted to know what was taking her fathers so long to find her. She wanted to be back at home already, back at school.

Rachel felt tears prickling her eyes as they mixed with the lukewarm water of the shower. Shutting the shower off Rachel grabbed a towel and searched through the drawers just outside the bathroom for something to wear. There were plain cotton shirts and shorts along with a few pairs of jeans and leggings plus undergarments.

Pulling random things on Rachel timidly walked barefoot across the room and cracked the door open. The man had been home for probably an hour but Rachel couldn't hear him making any noise. She bounded out of the room and into the larger living room towards the front door. "Look who decided to grace me with her presence." Rachel froze and spun around where she saw him sitting with a book in his lap on a ratty couch.

"Come sit with me Rachel." He patted the spot next to him. Rachel didn't want to upset him so she did what he wanted. "So what brought this on?" He inquired looking genuinely happy that she was near him.

"I-I wanted to see the house." Rachel told him honestly. She wasn't lying. She wanted to see if she could tell where she was or if there was a way out.

"Good. I want you to be comfortable in your new home." He smiled. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He popped up from his spot and made his way over to the kitchen. Rachel watched him from behind her shoulder as he pressed play on the small CD player on the counter. Rachel recognized sound coming out as the beginning notes of an Etta James song. _At last my love has come along, my lonely days are over._

"Go on Rachel." He urged quickly making his way back over to her. Rachel frowned; she wasn't quite sure on what he wanted her to do. _And life is like a song, at last the skies above are blue. _"Sing for me Rachel." He spoke more forcefully. Rachel hesitantly opened her mouth.

"_And my heart was wrapped up in clover, the night I looked at you, I found a dream that I can speak to, a dream that I could call my own_." She sang timidly. The man swayed his way back over to her where he sat back down and closed his eyes.

"I've waited so long to hear you sing just to me." He hummed.

"_I found a thrill to press my cheek to, a thrill that I have never known_."

"Just think Rachel, we can do this everyday for the rest of our lives now." He smiled while his eyes were still closed.

"_You smiled, and then the spell was cast, and here we are in heaven_."

"No one will ever come between us again." Rachel stopped her motions and held back her tears.

"Don't you understand?" She shouted. "People are looking for me and they're going to find me! My fathers know very influential people in Ohio that have strong ties to the police force! They're going to find me!" Rachel wasn't really sure who she was trying to convince, the man or herself.

"Then it's a good thing we're not in Ohio anymore isn't it?" He smiled and patted her knee. Rachel let out a muffled gasp. How was anyone supposed to find her now? "Finish the song Rachel. Finish it." It almost sounded like he was begging. The music had long stopped and Etta James's voice had halted.

"_And you are mine at last_."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Ten days missing**

Puck was sitting on a hard chair at the police station. He literally would rather be anywhere else. He had come with the rest of the Glee club because Schue told them the police needed statements and it would be supportive if they all went together. Now however Puck was the only one left. Schue had wanted to stay with him but Puck insisted that he go home and spend time with Emma. He was waiting for Mike to finish his turn before he could go in.

This was supposed to be their year. This was supposed to be their senior year. Nothing was going to be okay if Rachel didn't come home or worse, if she was _dead_.

"You turn man." Mike startled him out of his terrifying thoughts. "It's not so bad in there." He offered as he clapped his hand on Puck's shoulder as he stood up. Puck nodded at him as he bristled by down the hall and into a small room where a man in a suit was waiting.

"Noah Puckerman?"He asked and when Puck nodded he pointed to an empty seat which Puck took.

"Everyone calls me Puck." He commented and the man nodded.

"I'm Evan Daniels." He introduced himself. "I'm just going to ask you some standard questions, okay?" Evan took the seat across from Puck. "How long have you known Rachel Berry?"

"Forever." Puck answered easily. "Our families go to the same temple and we went to the same JCC camp when we were little then the same elementary, middle, and high school together." Puck told him sadly. The man nodded and wrote a few things down.

"Now some of your friends say that Rachel was a target for bullying in the past." He didn't even look up; he was too busy flipping through his notes. "Is this true?"

"Yeah. Rachel is kind of unique." He put it carefully. "Guys on the football team or hockey time would make fun of her or sometimes they would throw things at her. Like slushies." Puck fidgeted in his seat. He hadn't even been this nervous when he was being sentenced to Juvie.

"Slushies." The man clicked his tongue. "It's been stated that the football team, particularly you, started the quote slushie facials. So tell me this Puck, what was your relationship to Miss. Berry?"

_Puck had picked Rachel up from her house on a Thursday night. She had gotten in an argument with her fathers and she didn't want to be home with them. They were sitting in his old beat up truck in front of the lake near his house. "They think I'm too "up tight"." She hollered making Puck chuckle because she actually used air quotes. "I'm not up tight! I just want senior year to be the best year of my life! I want to win nationals! I want to nail all my college auditions! I want everything to be perfect and if that makes me up tight then I suppose—" Rachel stopped talking and narrowed her eyes at Puck who was cracking up. "What may I ask is so funny?" She demanded._

"_It's just that they're kinda right." Puck shrugged._

"_What?" Rachel shrieked._

"_You take everything so seriously. It's like you don't have a spontaneous bone in your body."_

"_That statement is completely ludicrous. What do you suggest I do to be spontaneous?" Rachel mocked as she rolled her eyes and Puck shrugged. "What? Strip to my undergarments and run into the lake?" Rachel's mouth fell open when Puck began to smirk at her._

"_Sure. Prove me wrong Berry." He smirked even wider at her. Rachel went from looking horrified to looking determined. Puck knew that look. She quickly threw open the door to his car and hopped out. She striped out of her clothes leaving her in a plain purple polka dot bra and matching cotton boy shorts. __**The girl was hot as fuck and she didn't even know it**__, Puck thought. Rachel shot him a devilish look as she made a mad dash for the edge of the lake running right past the __**No Swimming**__ sign. "What's the matter Noah? Can't keep up?" She called over her shoulder as she splashed into the water._

_Not wanting her to drown or get eaten by a man eating fish or whatever Puck pulled his shirt over his head and raced toward her. "See? Spontaneous." Rachel grinned as she kicked her legs to keep herself a float. _

"_Yeah yeah Berry." Puck made his way over to were she was floating. She was breathtaking. Her wet hair was sticking to her face and the reflection of the moon made her look like she was glowing._

"_Noah?" Rachel's voice brought him out of his trance. "You were staring." She pointed out smugly._

"_Yeah so?" Puck raised an eyebrow._

"_You know you can kiss me if you want." Rachel told him meekly as she captured her bottom lip between her teeth. Instant boner. Right then it didn't matter that she was once Finn's girl, it didn't matter that she wasn't really in his social group. All that mattered was that she was Rachel and he was Noah to her._

_Instead of answering her Puck closed the gap between them and captured her lips. Her lips were soft and pliable against his. He had almost forgotten how amazing she was at this._

"Look it's true that I've been a douche to her in the past but I would never do anything to hurt Rach now. We're close." Puck mumbled running his fingers through his mohawk.

"Uh huh." The man nodded his head. "You two were more than friend I gather?"

"I knew Finn would be majorly pissed if I ever made a move on her but fuck. Rachel was special, you know? She was getting out of this shit hole town. She was going to make something of herself. She was going to be a Broadway star! She even helped me bring up my grades so I could graduate and apply to decent schools. I-I was even going to apply to schools in New York." Puck confessed. "This isn't fair!" He slammed his fists down on the table in front of him and roughly stood up almost making his chair fall. "What kind of psycho does this kind of thing? Why did it have to be Rachel?" He demanded and the man just looked at him sadly.

"I don't know why someone targeted Rachel."

"I-I didn't even get to tell her about New York or that I wanted to be more than friends!" Puck buried his face in his palms.

"We are doing everything possible to find her Puck, I promise."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel had stayed put on that ratty old couch even though the man had gotten up. She knew it must have been later in the day because the man was moving around the kitchen pulling things out of a small fridge. "Rachel darling! Could you come in here?" Rachel stomach churned. Her daddy used to call her darling.

She was tired. She was tired of fighting. She was tired of crying. She was tried of believing that she was going to be returned home. She was just tired of being tired. Rachel made her way to the table in the kitchen just as the man was placing a plate of rice and beans in front of her.

"I hope my cooking has been to you liking. If you want you could start helping me out or you could simply tell me what you want and I'll make it for you." The man placed another plate down for himself and took a seat next to her. They ate in silence.

"What do you do?" Rachel didn't even know where that came from. She just blurted it out. The man looked at her curiously. "I mean your occupation. You leave at the same time everyday so what do you do?" She asked again. The man smiled widely at her. Rachel hated how she even if only for a second thought the man was slightly beautiful.

"I work in construction. I supervise the plans and then construction of buildings and areas. It's actually a pretty boring job." He shrugged. "It's a lot of paper work and working in the heat. I guess I am blessed though, I get the chance to do all sorts of carpentry not just building."

"Why did you want to go into that particular profession?" She was truly curious.

"I didn't have many opportunities when I was younger. I had to make do and construction was me making do. I was never very smart, not like you Rachel." He winked. "You always did well in school didn't you?"

"I like school. I know it sounds like a cliché but knowledge really is power." Rachel didn't really know where the conversation was coming from. She was supposed to hate this man.

"I'm sorry you won't be able to finish out school Rachel. It would be too risky to send you to school even a new school." He apologized. "I really do want to make you happy Rachel. You'll understand someday that this is a blessing."

"H-how is this a blessing?" Rachel dropped her fork.

"They were smothering you. Your parents were so demanding and so were your teachers! Don't get me started on that show choir coach of yours! _Sing this Rachel, sing that, we have to win Nationals Rachel!_" He mocked. "He and those Glee club members all wanted something from you! All you did was try to help them and all they did was take from you!" He stood up and began pacing. "Here you can grow! You can be yourself because I'll love you no matter what! There's no bullying here, no jocks, no pressure. Do you see now Rachel?" Rachel was stunned when the man yanked her into an embrace, she didn't know what to do so she hugged him back.

"Are you finished? You're finished right?" The man didn't wait for her response and he cleared away the plates. "Come sit with me Rachel, I have something you might like." He took her hand and led her to that ratty couch. "The television doesn't have cable but it has a DVD player and I picked up a few of your favorites." He fished around in a bin and pulled out a copy of _Funny Girl _and popped it in.

"How do you know so much about me?"

"It's not that hard to find things out about someone Rachel. You had a MySpace account and you were registered to Facebook." He told her. She sat and let herself become immersed in Barbara, her idol.

About half way through the movie she turned to the man next to her and again with her word vomit she started talking. "How old are you?"

"24." He answered without taking his eyes on the screen.

"Do you have a family?" She chewed on her bottom lip.

"I did." He chuckled. "My mother and father passed away in a car crash." Rachel found herself mumbling out an apology out of habit. "After they died I didn't have any family to take me in so I was shuttled from foster family to foster family until I aged out of the system."

"I'm sorry." Rachel apologized for the second time.

"It's okay Rachel. You're my family now."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Thirteen days missing**

"Puckerman!" Puck barely turned his head when he heard Santana calling his name.

"What?" He snapped. She made her way up the steps to join him on the bleachers.

"I just thought you could use a friend right now." She held her hands up like a peace offering before she sat down next to him.

"I don't need anyone."

"Bullshit." Santana snorted. "I know this whole Rachel thing is hard on you Puck but it's hard for all of us. I know I wasn't the nicest to Rachel but we talked and we were going to try and make the whole friendship thing work for the sake of senior year. I-I miss her." Santana sighed as her head slumped.

"I miss her too. I miss all her craziness." Puck mumbled.

"I saw you two in the choir room the other day."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Puck replied automatically.

"You two were a thing weren't you?" Santana pried.

"No."

"You don't have to lie to me Puck. I know you too well for that." Santana nudged him. "I won't tell anyone." She promised.

"We weren't anything really. We made out and that's it." Puck kept his gaze fixed on a spot on the field.

"That's not it and you know it. You were crazy about Rachel Berry."

"I was not!" Puck argued.

"You spend Fridays with her Puck! All the good parties are on Friday and you know that!" Santana pointed out. "It's okay if you liked her."

"Fuck San! All I wanted to do was make her mine. I almost asked her a couple of times but every time I tried to all I could think about was tying her down. What if I didn't get into any school in New York and I couldn't go with—" Puck cursed under his breath. The only person he told about New York was that investigator. He hadn't even mentioned it to his mother yet.

"You were going to New York to fucking be with her? Shit Puckerman." Santana shook her head. "This whole situation is so fucked up." She whispered.

"Tell me about it. Have you heard from her dads?"

"Kurt went over the other day and they're a total mess. I mean that's understandable. Kurt brought them butt cake or some shit—"

"Bunt cake." Puck chuckled. Rachel had taught him what that was.

"Fine bunt cake and he said they wouldn't let him leave. They started showing him photo albums and home movies." That sounded just like Mr. and Mr. Berry.

"I fucking miss her San."

"Everything is going to work out Puck." Santana placed her head on his shoulder and Puck slid his arm around her frame.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel found herself waking up extra early. She began waking up at least an hour before the man's alarm would sound and she would hear movement. She didn't know what compelled her but Rachel found herself standing in the kitchen with her pajama on in the early morning. She began digging through the cabinets looking for pans and skillets.

She moved on to the fridge and started pulling ingredients out as quietly as she could. Every morning at home she would make her father breakfast because they were cooking inept. Rachel found eggs, bread, and fruit. She quietly prepared a breakfast letting her mind concentrate on a simple task.

"What are you doing?" A husky voice made her spin around. Standing before her was the man. He was barefoot and shirtless wearing just a pair of shorts. His stomach and abdomen was toned and firm revealing abs. He was strong and muscular.

"I-I made you breakfast." Rachel held out a plate and a glass full of orange juice. Her hand was shaking so badly though that some of the juice sloshed out of the glass and onto the floor. "I'm sorry." Rachel thrust the items toward the sleepy man and crouched down with a towel. "God I'm sorry." She continued to say.

"Rachel it's okay." The man bent so he was eye level with her. He used his fingers to tilt her chin so she was looking into his eyes. "Thank you for making me breakfast." He moved forward and placed a lingering kiss on her forehead. "Come on Rachel." He gingerly helped her up and settled her down in a chair and sat next to her.

"You're coming around Rachel." He told her as he ate his meal. "I like this Rachel. She's the sweet girl I fell in love with." He ate the rest of his meal in silence. He retreated to get changed and Rachel remained at the table. _This Rachel_? "I'm trusting you today Rachel. You can have the house to yourself until I get home. You know where the movies are and there are books in the bookshelf as well as food in the fridge. Don't make me regret this Rachel." He told her warningly.

Rachel watched him walk out the door and she heard deadbolts locking. She then heard the sound of an engine revving and then silence. Standing up from the table she bounded to the front door and yanked on the handle. It wouldn't budge. She went all around the house room by room to check for windows or doors, there were none. The only room she couldn't even enter was the man's bedroom. The door to enter was already locked.

Making her way back to the living room Rachel popped in _Rent_ and curled up on that ratty couch.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Review please! The song is **_**At Last**_** by Etta James. Are the chapter lengths okay? Suggestions or requests are accepted!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee! Fox and Ryan Murphy do! I also don't own any songs mentioned.**

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

"I-I was wondering if you could do something for me." Rachel spoke timidly while the man was eating his breakfast. They had fallen into sort of a new routine. Rachel would get up before him and some days she would cook and others she would just sit and watch him. The man paused, his fork was halfway to his mouth, and he looked quite amused.

"I would do anything for you Rachel. Well anything within reason." He corrected as he put the fork in his mouth and chewed. "Tell me what you want Rachel."

"I was wondering if it were possible for you to pick me up some sort of journal." The man looked at her curiously. "You know, to write down any music lines that pop into my head or to get thoughts out. Something that's personal and mine." He started nodding his head.

"Alright Rachel. I think I can manage such a simple request. I'll stop by the store after work today and see what I can find." He promised. Placing his napkin down he retreated to his bedroom which he still locked every time he left the house. Reemerging in his work jeans and plain shirt he winked at Rachel before locking up and leaving her alone.

_Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter-tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther... And one fine morning- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past._

Rachel closed the cover of _The Great Gatsby_, a classic. She had been sitting and reading for quite a while and the man was going to be home soon but until then Rachel let her mind wander. She liked to think about what her family and friends were doing at that exact moment. If they were happy or sad, if they were angry or rejoicing about something.

She wanted to know if Aviva Puckerman was continuing to force Noah to go to temple like she requested even though he constantly fought her on it. She wanted to know if Kurt was still having his daily moisturizing sessions. Mostly she knew the answers to these questions. She figured everyone's world was being turned upside down because of her, all because—

"Rachel!" Her thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and a voice calling to her. "Come see!" Rachel uncrossed her legs and met him at the door just as he was locking it up. "Everything's in the bag." He smiled at her.

Rachel peaked into the bag and saw a plain black and white composition book and a pack of pens. There were also a few extra items. "W-what's all this?" Rachel started pulling items out.

"Since you told me you missed school so much I picked these up for you." He shrugged. There were a couple books all of which were workbooks pertaining to the material she was and should be learning in school. "I figured you could try and keep up."

"Thank you." Rachel breathed out. She gathered her items and walked into her room where she placed the books in a neat pile on her bed.

"Did you read this today?" The man asked her when she returned to the common room. He was holding up the copy of _The Great Gatsby_.

"I hope that's okay." Rachel peaked up at him.

"No it's more than okay. This is actually one of my favorites, along with _A Tale of Two Cities_." He told her.

"I prefer _The Secret Adversary_." Rachel confessed.

"Ah, "_A great many men are mad, and no one knows it. They do not know it themselves."_" For the first time since she had been there Rachel gave him a genuine smile.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Seventeen days missing**

Puck sauntered into the choir room late. He almost didn't come but Santana had found out that he was planning on ditching and she threatened to cut off his balls and put them in a blender if he didn't. It was well after school hours but Schuester had decided to have a sort of memorial dedicated to Rachel and it only seemed fitting to have it in the choir room. "And our last member is finally here." Schue clapped. "I know that this is a very trying time for all of us but I commend you all for staying strong and I'm waiting for the day that we welcome Rachel back."

"I thought we could go around and each light a candle for Rachel." Schue suggested. He started by using a lighter and lighting a small white candle with a somber face. "Quinn?" He passed her a candle and the lighter and when she was finished she passed it on.

"God I can't believe I made Rachel dress up in that awful Grease suit just because I was jealous of her." Kurt dabbed at his eyes.

"Wait! You made her look like that sad clown hooker?" Finn spun around in his chair to look at Kurt.

"Britts and I used to pelt her with gnome figurines whenever we would see her in the bathroom." Santana recalled sadly. Puck had only seen her upset like this once before. It was when she found out her father was having an affair with their maid.

"We also drew that picture of her in the girl's bathroom, the one where we made Rachel look like the ogre from Shrek. Remember San?" Brittany laid her head on her girlfriend's shoulder while the rest of the group looked at them like they had grown two heads.

"I used—"

"For fuck's sake! What's wrong with you idiots?" Puck snapped from his chair. "Do you really think Rachel would want all of us to sit here and talk about all the shitty things we used to do to her? In case you guys haven't noticed, Rachel forgave all of us a long time ago. We should be talking about how fucking amazing Rachel was and still is!"

"Like every week after her dance classes we would go to the ice cream parlor near her house and every week she would sit and watch me eat ice cream and scold me for how bad it was for my vocal chords. Two weeks ago she finally let me buy her a cone and all she fucking did was get the stuff all over herself but she wouldn't stop laughing and smiling! That's the kind of stuff we should be talking about!" Puck roughly ran his hands over his head and ignored the wide eyes and shocked expressions in the room.

"Puck's right you guys. We should be thinking about all the things we love about Rachel and all the things that made her a special young lady. I just think—"

"Will Schuester." Sue Sylvester entered the room in one of her signature track suits.

"If you're hear to insult anyone of us you can just get out right now Sue." Schue ground out.

"On the contrary Schuester. Normally I can't stand you or your group of socially retarded singing cripples but what happened in the past few weeks has got me thinking. I wouldn't wish what happened to Rachel on anyone, not even that idiot down at the seven eleven who puts laxatives in my Big Gulps. I just stopped by to say how sorry I am that this has happened." Sue gave everyone a tight smile and made her way out of the room.

"Anyways," Schue shook his head. "I just wanted to remind all of you that in a couple of days the police are launching a state wide man-hunt search for Rachel if any of you would like to volunteer and help out it would be greatly appreciated."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Twenty-three days missing **

Puck really didn't want to attend the whole volunteer effort either but his mother insisted that they attend. Really though, what were the police looking for? Rachel's body? Puck involuntarily shuddered. His mother and little sister were over signing in and Puck just wanted to go home but that was out of the question. "Puck! Puck wait up!" Puck halted as Quinn caught up with him. "How are you?" She asked politely.

"Fucking amazing." Puck snorted. "Sorry." He muttered after he saw the hurt look on Quinn's face. "Why don't you go help Finn or whatever?" The whole Glee club had showed up for the event.

"I know Rachel thought we were together but we really weren't and anyways she was over him. You of all people should know that." Quinn kicked at a rock and kept her head down. The search was taking place at the location where Rachel was supposedly taken.

_He and Rachel were sitting in the cab of his truck looking up at the stars. "Wanna make out?" Puck suddenly turned to face Rachel who started giggling. Ever since that night at the lake Puck wasn't really sure what they were but he liked it. He liked that Rachel would let him kiss her when he dropped her home or when they hung out. He liked even more that the last time they were together Rachel allowed him to help her fall apart on his fingers, it was the hottest thing he had ever seen._

_Sure he respected her whole virgin thing but hot damn the girl was so fucking smoking and she didn't even know it. Puck had to jerk himself off at least three times before he could go to sleep that night._

_Her lips were perfect. They were sweet and he loved the way she would nip at his bottom lip, it make him painfully hard just thinking about it. "Fuck Rach." Puck groaned when Rachel moved down his neck and chest. Her fingers inched their way under his shirt, across his sculpted muscles, and toward his nipple ring where she tugged on it lightly eliciting a growl from Puck. "Baby."_

"_Shh." Rachel smiled up at him as her other hand danced along his crotch. It felt fucking amazing. He felt like a fucking thirteen year old who had just discovered porn, he was seconds away from blowing his load._

"_Rach you don't have to do this." Puck panted as Rachel swiftly unbuttoned and tugged at his jeans._

"_I want to Noah. Don't you want me to?" Rachel looked up at him innocently making Puck groan again._

"_Of course I fucking do baby. I just don't want to pressure you."_

"_You aren't." Rachel leaned up to place a soft kiss to his lips as her hands continued on their journey into his jeans and past the waist band of his boxers. "Is this okay?" Rachel bit her lip as she stroked him lightly._

"_Fuck yeah baby, faster." Puck thrust his hips into her palm. She increased her pace and grip as per his instructions. "So good Rach." Puck panted. "Fuck baby I'm about to cum." It didn't take long for him to explode all over her tiny hand and he was about to apologize but Rachel just cut him off._

"_Thank you Noah." Rachel grinned at him as he buttoned his pants back up. _

"_Since when did you start becoming so badass Berry?" Puck leaned back in the cab. Who was this girl? The old Rachel Berry he knew would have never jerked him off in the back of his car, not that he was complaining._

"_Since I started hanging around you so much." Rachel smirked at him._

"Look all I'm saying is that I'm here if you want to talk. I know we haven't been very close since the whole, whole Beth thing but no one deserves to go through something like this alone." Puck gave her a small head nod before Quinn jogged off toward Santana and Brittany.

"Puck!" Puck was about to turn around and punch the person calling his name but he recognized the voice as one of Rachel's fathers. "Hello Puck." Rachel's fathers approached him hand in hand.

"Mr. Berry, Mr. Berry." Puck acknowledged them.

"How many times have we told you Puck? Call us Leroy and Hiram." Leroy told him sadly.

"So how have you both been?" Puck asked awkwardly shuffling back and forth on his heels.

"Everything has been a bit hectic." Leroy sighed.

"We've both taken off work and we haven't gotten anything done. The house is a complete mess. You know what Rachel used to say? She used to say that a messy house is a messy mind." Hiram told him.

"I really am sorry about this whole thing. I'm sure we'll find Rachel."

"I'm sure." Hiram replied shortly as he hurried off. Rachel's other father gave Puck a sympathetic smile before he ran off to catch up with Hiram.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel had to stifle the scream she almost let out when the loud clap of thunder woke her up. Sweat was making her forehead sticky and the her breath was coming out in pants. She could hear the loud pouring of rain hitting the roof and when another crack of thunder startled her Rachel threw off her now damp sheets.

Quietly making her way around the house Rachel found herself stopped in front of the man's door. Bring her fist up Rachel knocked lightly. She almost thought that she knocked too lightly and was about to go back to her room but just then the door opened and a sleepy looking shadow emerged. "Rachel?" A boom of thunder sounded above making Rachel jump again.

"I-I can't sleep. I get scared during thunderstorms and I was just wondering if maybe, maybe, oh I don't know. Never mind!" Rachel held her breath, she was behaving so stupidly.

"Rachel my love." He was shirtless again as he pulled her into a hug. "Come here." For the first time Rachel saw the inside of the man's room. There were papers everywhere, construction plans and bills. Overall the layout looked exactly like her own room. He sat her on the edge of his bed as he went around and flipped on lights. "You don't like thunderstorms?" He raised an eyebrow at her and Rachel shook her head.

Ever since her fathers had taken her to a Fourth of July picnic when she was little and they got caught in the middle of one where she saw a tree catch on fire due to the severe storm she had hated them.

"W-what are you doing?" Rachel didn't know if she should be afraid. She had never been in the man's room before but Rachel kind of thought that he would have hurt her already if he wanted to.

"I was looking for this." He held up a label less CD. "I made this before you came. It's a mix tape. These songs always made me feel better. The man put it in the CD player and pressed the play button. _The sun'll come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar, that tomorrow, there'll be sun. _The music filled the room as Rachel sat on the couch with the man next to her. _Just thinkin' about tomorrow, clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow, 'til there's none._ "They used to play this for us at the foster homes, kind of ironic isn't it?" He gave Rachel a sad smile.

"I suppose." Rachel jumped again at the thunder. _When I'm stuck a day, that's gray, and lonely, I just stick out my chin, and grin, and say, oh._ "I just want the storm to pass." Rachel whispered. She didn't even flinch when the man brought his hand up to tuck a stand of hair behind her ear.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel sat cross legged on her bed pen in hand. She was scribbling lyrics down from past Glee clubs songs and solos so she could remember them in the future. She had also started writing notes to everyone she knew even though they probably would never get them. She had gone down the list over the last three days and she was finished with everyone from her fathers, to the glee club, to Rabbi Greenburg. The only person she had left was Puck. She had tried several times to start his letter but each time she started she would grow too sad and rip the paper from the book and toss it somewhere around her room.

Starting again she flipped to a clean sheet of paper.

_Noah,_

_It seems so silly to be writing this to you. Partly because you'll never get to read it but also because I'm not sure if I was still around you would read it anyways, I know how much you hate reading. I miss everyone so much. I miss Glee and my family and your mother and sister. I think I miss you most of all though Noah. I miss the way you made me feel. After Finn and I broke up I was perfectly content to wallow in my own self pity but you made sure it wasn't like that. You made me feel alive again Noah and I'm so thankful to you for that. I remember the first time I saw you Noah. We were seven and your mother had forced to you join the JCC after temple every week. I had just moved to town and didn't know anyone. I watched you shove the other kids out of the way to get to the snack and juice table first. The whole time I was watching you Jacob Ben Israel kept pestering me about seeing my panties. You walked right up to him and proceeded to punch square in the face. You told me you were simply defending a "helpless chick". You were the first person to ever do something like that for me. You've always been there Noah and sometimes I forgot that. I was so caught up with Finn for so long that I didn't take notice of that until recently. I hope you understand how badly I wanted you Noah, how badly I needed you. That day on the bleachers I know you weren't going to break up with me but in a way I'm glad everything happened that way. It gave us a chance to mature and develop. You're an amazing man Noah and don't ever let anyone tell you differently. So many times while we were at Breadstix or sitting in your truck did I want to tell you how badly I wanted to be yours. Some nights I was so scared of you Noah, I was terrified of what you made me feel. You made me feel beautiful and special and you accept me the way I was. There was no changing to please you Noah, you liked me craziness and all. I loved you Noah. I would give anything to have the chance to tell you in person or even at all but I fell in love with you Noah between ice cream trips and skinny dipping in the lake. I was so afraid after Finn that I would never find anyone else but I found you and I'm not scared anymore. I love you Noah Puckerman._

_Love Rachel_

Her loopy handwriting filled the page and she gently closed the book placing it beside her as she laid back and closed her eyes.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Am I a lion?" The man asked her suspiciously.

"Lions are most certainly never black!" Rachel found herself beginning to laugh but stopped herself in time. "Try again." Ever since he had given her those school books the man had been coming home and trying to get her to participate in all sorts of things, today it was playing a game. Rachel had played it once before while she was babysitting. It was the one where you put a card on your forehead and have to guess the item on that card.

"I give up." He chuckled as he removed the card and looked at it. "A horse?"

"Horses can be all different shades of colors!" Rachel defended her answering choices to his questions. "When I was little I used to beg my fathers to let me take horse back riding lessons. I thought all the cool girls did it." Rachel sighed as she rested her chin on her palms.

"Trust me, riding isn't that fun." The man lifted the side of his shirt and turned slightly to reveal a long scar running down his side. "When my parents were still alive we went on vacation and they thought it would be fun to go riding. I was on the horse for no more then ten minutes before I fell right off and landed right on a rock." He told her. "You weren't really missing anything love."

It had started raining almost every night there now. So that night when thunder sounded overhead Rachel didn't even feel bad when she knocked on the man's door and they sat together on that ratty couch while he stroked her hair and listened to music.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Twenty-eight days missing**

"Noah?" Puck opened one eye to see his little sister poking her head into his room. "Mommy said to tell you that she's leaving for work and that you have to watch me tonight."

"Great." Puck released a breath. It wasn't like he would be going out anyways, it just felt wrong to.

"I'm sorry you're so sad all the time Noah."

"Hannah," Puck smiled sadly at her. She took this as an invitation and let herself fully into the room.

"Mommy said it's because Rachel went away, is that why you're so sad?" Puck looked at the six year old who was now standing in front of him.

"Yea Han, everyone just really misses Rachel right now."

"Why did she leave?" The innocent child asked. "I wanted mommy to tell me but she just started crying and hugging me so tightly that I couldn't breathe. I like Rachel too! She hasn't come over to read to me or braid my hair." She pouted. "Doesn't she like us?"

"Of course Rachel likes us. She didn't leave Hannah. Do you remember what they taught you at camp a couple of years ago? About never talking to people you don't know and about strangers?" His sister nodded. "Well a stranger decided to make Rachel go away, Rachel didn't want to though. Do you kinda understand what I'm saying?"

"Kinda. I still miss her though; you aren't very good at doing French braids." Hannah decided making Puck chuckle.

"You know I love you, right Hannah?"

"Yeah I know." The little girl giggled. "I love you too Noah." Suddenly her eyes lit up and she grabbed Puck's hand. "Mommy said I could make cookies tonight as long as you helped me with the oven so come on!" She tugged at his hand forcing him to get up.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Thirty-one days missing**

"I still can't believe it has been a month." Tina sighed glumly. The whole Glee club, minus Mr. Schuester who was in his classroom getting some sheet music and Puck who was just plain late, were sitting in the choir room waiting for Glee to start.

"I know. Yesterday when I was cleaning out my room I found one of those booklets you get when you go see a play from when we were dating." Finn had mostly been keeping quiet but when he did say something it was sweet, nothing ever bad about Rachel like you would expect from two people who had broken up.

"You mean a playbill?" Quinn looked over at him.

"Yeah a playbill! Now I remember, Rach had them all over her room."

"I know it's awful to say but what if they don't find her? What if she's dead?" Mercedes whispered.

"They're going to find her!" Santana narrowed her eyes at Mercedes. "And she's going to be fine when they find her. She'll probably be wailing about how long the whole thing took." Santana told everyone firmly.

"Look I'm not saying that I'm not going to help in any way I can or that I don't want her to come home but we have to be realistic. Maybe we all need to start dealing with the fact that maybe Rachel isn't coming home."

"That's messed up on so many levels." Everyone looked up to see Puck standing in the doorway with his arms crossed, he looked pissed. "Rachel is our fucking friend and you guys want to give up on her? Some friends you are." He spat. Just then Schue walked through the other door and had a look of confusion on his face.

"What's going on here? Puck why don't you sit down, I was just about to assign—"

"Stop it. Stop fucking pretending like everything is okay because it isn't! In case you forgot, Rachel is here! Don't any of you feel bad singing and dancing around while she isn't here? Glee was like Rachel's world. I'm not going to sit here and pretend anymore. I quit." With that he spun around and stomped out of the choir room and out of the school.

He _was not_ going to set foot in that room again.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Noah,_

_It rains all the time here. Not just normal rain, oh no. It's like torrential downpours complete with thunder and lightning. You know how much I despise them both. Do you remember that night we got caught in the rain running to your car from the school? I still can't believe you convinced me to __**dance **__around in the rain with you. I think that was the first time I really wanted you to be my boyfriend and not just my friend._

_I love you, Rachel_

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Review! The song was The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow from Annie.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I don't own Glee, Ryan Murphy does. I also don't own any of the songs mentioned.**

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Rachel let the music take over her body. Her hips swayed to the notes as she ran through the song. The man had turned up one day with a copy of Barbra's Greatest Hits, she loved that album. He said he was filling up at a gas station and when he went in to pay he saw it and thought of her. She didn't know if that was true or not but it was almost sweet that he was thinking of her.

She was going through the choreography the Glee club did when they performed _Somebody to Love. _Rachel was surprised she even remembered it. She was by herself in the kitchen where she could hear Barbra best. The man was locked away in his room. When he got home for the day he claimed he had so much work on top of a horrible day and before Rachel could say anything he was slamming his door. She was so into herself and her song that she wasn't paying attention to his door opening and it wasn't until she spun around and saw him standing near his door with a small smile on his face.

"You're always so beautiful when you perform Rachel." He made his way over to where she was. "You really do have a rare talent. I'm sorry I was rude to you earlier Rachel." Rachel peered up at the man now standing next to her. "A few of my men fucked up and I had to drive outside the town limits to pick up a new shipment of oak." He told her.

"W-where is town?" Rachel asked. He had still not told her exactly where they were, just that they were no longer in Ohio.

"It's a long way out Rachel." He turned to face her. "I was thinking about something though Rachel." He shifted his body so that he was now in front of her and moved backwards until he had backed her against the edge of the kitchen counter. Rachel's breathing hitched when he reached out to twirl a piece of her hair, he had never acted like this before. "You've only screamed once since you've been here. I just thought that someone as vocal as you would have made me go deaf by now but you haven't." He looked at her curiously.

"Do you want me to scream?" She spoke barely above a whisper.

"It wouldn't matter anyways Rachel." He leaned close to her ear. "No one would be able to hear you scream anyways." He then placed a light kiss on her temple and stayed close to her body. Rachel shuddered. What did he want from her? Suddenly she had an idea. Her hand crept backwards and she nimbly grabbed one of the knives in the holder behind her. She pushed the man away from her and brought her hand, which was shaking uncontrollably, up. The man raised an eyebrow at her and started chuckling.

_This could be your chance. You can do this Rachel. You have to stab him! _Rachel cringed at her thoughts but it was true. This could be her only chance to escape. "Oh Rachel." The man sighed. "Do you really think you can hurt me with that?" He swiftly moved back to his former spot and before Rachel even knew what was happening he was twisting her arm in such a way that the knife fell to the floor with a thud. "You listen to me Rachel." His hand was still painfully gripping her wrist so with his other hand he forced her chin up so she was looking at him. "Don't ever do something like that again. Do you understand me?"

Rachel nodded her head and his hand moved with her. "You're never leaving here Rachel!" He bellowed. "And if you even think about doing something like that I won't hesitate to hurt your precious friends Rachel or maybe I'll go after you loving parents." He mocked. Rachel shook her head vigorously. "I didn't bring you all the way to Florida so you could go right back to them!"

Florida.

He brought her to Florida?

She was frozen when the man released his grip on her and stomped back to his room. Would he actually hurt her friends or family? He didn't know anything about them, or did he? Rachel shivered when she realized that the man was capable of pretty much anything. After all he had managed to sneak her out of Ohio and bring her all the way to Florida without anyone being able to catch his trail.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel sat idly at the kitchen table. She was still shaken up from the night before when the man was so angry. Well she would be angry too if someone tried to stab her. She was done with it all. No one was finding her. She was lost forever and her silly ideas weren't going to help her now. She was no match for him.

Rachel cringed when she heard the front door unlocking and being opened. "Rachel?" His voice called. "Oh there you are." He smiled when he rounded the corner and saw her sitting. "Are you alright Rachel?" His brow furrowed at her tense form.

"Y-yes." She didn't want to make him angry again.

"Oh Rachel." He sighed and came to sit down next to her. "I know yesterday must have been frightening for you and believe me I don't want to have to hurt anyone you care about but in order to avoid that you need to be a good girl, do you understand?" Rachel bit her lip and hesitantly shook her head. "Good." He nodded. "And to show you how sorry I am for yesterdays argument I got you a present." He placed a box on the table. "Open it." He told her.

Rachel delicately lifted the box open and gasped when she saw the contents of the box. Inside was a necklace. It was a gold Star of David with what looked like diamonds all along the star. Even Rachel had to admit that the gift was beautiful. "Everything is real on it." He told her proudly.

"How can you afford something like this? You didn't steal it did you? Because I refuse to—"

"I didn't steal it! I know the house isn't much but I actually do really well when it comes to money." He shrugged. "I'm just sorry that I can't give you a dream house with a yard and everything you've ever wanted. I can't attract too much attention to us." He said sadly. "Anyways, do you like it?" He asked her hopefully.

"It's beautiful." Rachel murmured as she took the jewelry out of the box to examine it.

"Here let me put it on you." He offered and took the star from her hands. He let her lift her hair aside before gently clasping the necklace around her. Rachel's fingers gingerly toyed with the necklace. No one had ever given her something so beautiful. "Perfect." He whispered. "Now you really are my Jewish princess."

Rachel didn't know if he said what he did on purpose and she really didn't know how she went from being firmly planted on her own seat to perched on the man's lap. His eyes were staring into hers and something about them reminded her of someone.

She didn't even register that she was kissing him until his lips gave in and molded to hers. They were soft and full. He was firm and warm as she pressed her chest against his torso. One of his hands reached around to steady her back and the other threaded its way into her hair. She could feel his breath hitching when she shifted her hip and nipped at his bottom lip. Rachel suddenly halted her movements when she felt something pressing into her thigh. She opened her eyes and the man was peering back at her with his piercing eyes. She was mortified. She was kissing the man that kidnapped her and he was turned on by her.

"Rachel," The man started but it was too late. Rachel jumped up, almost falling in the process and ran to her room. She couldn't breathe, she felt like she was dying. She leaned against the end of her bed frame and sank to the floor.

She hated that her whole body was still tingling.

She hated that she liked it.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Forty-two days missing**

Santana sat with her back turned to the crowd and Brittany by her side. She didn't even want to go to the party tonight but at school Schue called a meeting and said that everyone needed to try and get back into their routines and grooves despite the chaos around them and for most of the Glee club that meant going to parties. So when Kenly Simpson decided to throw a party on a Saturday night they decided to go. Santana smiled when she felt Brittany nudging her side.

"We can go if you want." Brittany kicked her legs back and forth.

"I just don't feel much like partying." That was saying something. She was always up for a party. Hell she was the drunken flip cup champ of McKinley!

"I know what you mean." Brittany nodded. "You know what makes me feel better when I get sad over Rachel?" The blonde turned her head to face Santana.

"What Britt?"

"I listen to the tapes I bought from Rachel of her singing." She told her girlfriend excitedly. "They always sound just like her."

"Wait a second, you bought tapes from Rachel of her singing?" Santana frowned.

"Yeah she sells them. Don't you remember she made an announcement about it in Glee?"

"God that's so Rachel Berry." Santana snorted making Brittany giggle.

"I know we made fun of her a lot but she was actually really nice when she wasn't acting crazy San." Brittany remarked as she laid her head on Santana's shoulder. "Sometimes she would come over my house because my mom called her dads and asked her to tutor me in, well everything." Santana looked at Brittany like she had sprouted another head. She never knew any of this. "But sometimes we would sit and talk about what we wanted to do after high school and I talked about you and she was fun, even though she kept telling me that Lord Tubbington couldn't be a superhero." Brittany shrugged.

"Why didn't you tell me any of this before Britt?"

"You never asked." Brittany shrugged again. "Hey look! It's Puck!" Brittany pointed to Puck who was stumbling up some stairs with one of the freshman Cheerios. Santana had seen him around school and he usually looked like shit and he still hadn't come back to Glee despite everyone's pleas.

"Fuck." Santana cursed under her breath and hopped down from her seat. "Britt I gotta go do something about that. We can go after I promise." Santana gave her a half smile.

"It's okay San. I can just ask Sam for a ride home." Brittany gestured to the blonde heading through the front door. "I'll call you later." Both girls decided not to drink at the party and Santana drove them both so Brittany hurried to Sam so she wouldn't have to look for another ride.

Santana bounded up the stairs and started opening doors until she found the right one. Puck was pressed up against the wall with his pants around his ankles while the Cheerio was on her knees in front of him. Her hands were just dipping into his boxers when Santana made her presence known. "Hey Chelsea! I suggest you get the fuck up and walk out of this room before I seriously hurt you." Santana narrowed her eyes at the younger girl who was clearly uncomfortable.

"Y-you can't tell me what to do Santana." She stuttered as she got up.

"Like hell I can. You want me to tell Coach you broke your diet and stopped paying for laser hair removal? She'll have you off the squad so fast that you won't even be able to change out of your uniform before she rips it off you." Santana spat and the girl's eyes widened as she scurried out of the room and down the stairs.

"What the fuck San?" Puck whined as he fumbled to pull up his jeans. "I was so going to fuck her!" He grumbled.

"Yeah and you would have felt like shit right after you did."

"Whatever." Puck slurred and rolled his eyes as he tried to buckle his belt.

"Puck," Santana spoke gently as she reached out and swatted his hands away so she could help him with his pants. "Is this about what happened earlier?"

"No!" Puck snapped.

"Just because they reduced the search doesn't mean they aren't still looking for her Puck." Santana knew he heard about what happened. The police had zero leads despite opening up a tip line and they were reducing their manpower.

"They have zero leads Santana! Zero leads." Puck clumsily made a zero with his fingers and fist. Santana didn't know how much he already had to drink tonight but she knew he was in no condition to drive home, he could barely stand.

"Come on Puck I'll take you home." Santana offered her hand out.

"I don't need your fucking help. I'm going to find Chelsea and drive us back to—" He tried to push past her but lost his footing and face planted at her feet. "San?" His voice was muffled as he made no move to get up. Sighing Santana bent down and pulled him up. Her years of Cheerio training made it possible for her to lift him up to his feet. "I only picked Chelsea because she has brown hair like Rachel does." Puck explained as Santana steadied and led him carefully down the stairs.

"She wasn't as good at kissing as Rachel is." Puck continued. "Rachel liked to bite. Did you know that?" He stopped walking and looked at Santana who raised an eyebrow at him before tugging him down the driveway towards her car. "She said it was an accident the first time but it wasn't! Sometimes when we made out and she was on top of me she would pull my nipple ring and do this figure eight thing and it felt so fucking good San. So fucking good!" Puck insisted as Santana buckled his seatbelt and climbed into the driver's seat.

"She doesn't have a gag reflex either. God her lips were so perfect too. They looked so perfect wrapped around my—"

"Puck! Stop!" Santana gripped the steering wheel tightly. Puck shrank back in his seat and looked down.

"Hey did you ever notice that Rachel had really cute hands?"

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Forty-four days missing**

Puck winced when Santana found him by his locker and proceeded to slam it. "Could you be any louder?" He snapped as he rubbed the back of his neck. The party was two days ago and he was still feeling the effects of his hangover.

"Maybe you shouldn't have drunk so much." Santana looked at him unsympathetically.

"What the hell do you want Satan? I had to listen to my Ma bitch at me all weekend; I don't need it from you too." He leaned against the rows of lockers.

"I'm not here to bitch at you." She held her hands up. "I just came by to say that if you ever pull the shit you pulled on Saturday I won't hesitate to chop off your balls, put them in a blender, and make you drink them." She smirked at his horrified expression. She would do it too. "Have a nice day Puckerman." Santana located Brittany by her own locker and joined the Cheerio.

"Yo Puck!" Puck groaned when he heard Sam yelling his name. What was with everyone yelling today? "Fuck you look terrible."

"Thanks." Puck ground out. "What do you want Evans?"

"Uh I just noticed that you stopped coming to math."

"And?" Puck snapped.

"And I wanted to know why." Sam spoke more confidently. "You used to come everyday with, with Rachel."

"Yeah well Rachel isn't here anymore." He replied coldly.

"I know she isn't Puck but do you know how happy she was when she found out your grades were improving? They improved because of her and you can't throw all that progress away. How do you think Rachel would feel if she knew you were just giving up?" Sam questioned. "You wouldn't want her to think you're just a Lima loser would you?" He knew he was playing dirty but he needed to get through to Puck. "Just think about it." He said quickly when he saw the death look Puck was giving him. "And think about coming back to Glee, it isn't the same without you."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

She hadn't left her room in days. She hadn't eaten or even made an effort to get up. She was too embarrassed. The man had come to her door the night of the kiss and begged her to come out. He said that he wasn't angry and that they could just forget the whole thing ever happened but Rachel couldn't. It would be etched in her memory forever. He left her alone after that and Rachel was thankful.

Her rumbling stomach was the only reason she decided to leave the safety of her secluded room. She knew he was home but she couldn't stand it anymore. She was an actress after all; she could pretend that everything was okay. She could pretend that she didn't feel those tingles when she kissed him.

"I was beginning to think that you were never coming out of that room." The man looked up from the paper work in front of him and smiled at her.

"I was hungry." Rachel held her breath.

"I made lasagna yesterday and there are still some leftovers." He jabbed his finger toward the fridge. His arm muscles flexed as he stretched to reach for more papers, no kitchen knife was going to kill him, she wouldn't, couldn't, kill him anyways. Killing was a sin.

She popped a plate of lasagna into the microwave and waited for it to heat up. When it was done she brought it over to the table where she sat across from the man. "What are you working on?" She asked as she blew on a forkful of food.

"It's the Delaney project. He wants to build a summer home for his in-laws and he has a whole list of shit I have to include in the plans. My boss wants me to supervise everything personally." He let a long breath out.

"I thought you were the boss?" Rachel hitched her leg up onto the chair.

"I am but I technically have a few guys above me. They actually own the companies and handle all financial things." He folded a few papers up and pushed them aside. "You're still wearing your necklace." He remarked and Rachel fingers automatically went to her neck.

"Yeah I am."

"I was afraid you would've taken it off."

"It really is beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it Rachel, it's beautiful just like you." Rachel stomach tightened. He was looking at her like she was Gods personal gift to the world. He looked at her with such admiration and well, love, that it almost frightened her.

"Why me?" She whispered. "Why me?" She repeated a litter louder. "You said you would tell me why you chose me and I want to know why."

"Alright darling." He chuckled. "A few years back I was working with a different company. They sent me to Ohio where I was supposed to work with a local contractor. I got to know him and his family over the weeks and one night they invited me to a show choir competition where their oldest daughter was competing. I reluctantly went and sat through all those horrible performances and then you came out and you were perfect. We were without a doubt the best performer there and I couldn't take my eyes off you. It was like you were singing just to me." He smiled at the memory and Rachel didn't have the heart to tell him she didn't even remember him.

"After that night I couldn't get you out of my head. I found out everything I could about you. I came back to Lima when there was another competition and you were singing _Faithfully_ and _Don't Stop Believin'_ and I knew you were the end for me. When I got back home things started falling apart. I got fired because I wasn't paying attention to my work anymore. I lost basically everything. All that kept me going was you Rachel." He reached out and touched her cheek.

"I came to all your shows Rachel. You sang _Get It Right_ and I knew I had to change. I got my life back on track. I got a new job and built this house but the whole time I was thinking of you. I learned all I could about you Rachel and I found out that we were the same. I had no family and your real family didn't want you. That selfish bitch gave you up to replacements Rachel. I'm sure you think that they loved you but that's only because you don't know any better, you don't know the love of real family Rachel."

Rachel's mouth fell open. Her fathers loved her!

"I got everything ready for you Rachel and when everything was done I finally came to get you. I know all about your childhood Rachel and I knew that living here would be safer for you. I knew that I could love you more then they ever could." He took her hand in his. "And I promise I'll spend the rest of forever proving it to you."

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Glee, Ryan Murphy does! I also don't own any songs, books, or movies mentioned.**

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

It was much later than he usually came home. Rachel sighed as she picked at a loose strand on her shirt. As much as she hated to admit it she was lonely. She had gotten used to the man sitting with her, reading with her, just being with her. Resting her chin on her palms Rachel closed her eyes but her ears perked up when she heard his voice. "Rachel?" She was met with his tall frame and a broad smile on his face. In his hands was a huge bag. "Do you know what tonight is?" He questioned. Honestly she didn't, they days were merging together for her.

"Tonight is homecoming for the local kids and since you can't be there for that I thought I would bring homecoming to you." He held the bag out towards her. Cocking her head to the side Rachel quickly stood up and took the bag. "Go put it on and I'll go change." His fingers brushed against her arm when he released the bag.

Besides Kurt the men Rachel usually surrounded herself around didn't know a thing about fashion. This man however seemed to have a few tricks up his sleeves. The dress was a soft green, one of her favorite colors. It reached mid thigh and was strapless with a band of jewels along the bust. In the bag there was also a pair of silver heels. Hesitantly she walked back to the living room.

She instantly smiled when she saw him standing there. He was dressed in a well tailored black suit with a green tie that matched her dress color. Rachel giggled when _Endless Love_ began playing. "May I have this dance?" He offered his hand out to her which Rachel accepted. "You look stunning." He whispered against her hair. It felt nice to be so close to someone again.

"You don't look so bad yourself." Rachel giggled again when he spun her around and dipped her. "It was sweet of you to do this for me." Rachel looked up at him.

"I would do anything for you Rachel." He responded genuinely.

"Really?" Rachel raised an eyebrow at him and her voice had a teasing tone to it. He gave her a toothy grin and nodded his head.

"Absolutely anything." Rachel was entranced as he licked his lips. There actually was something she had been thinking about. She actually had started dreaming about it.

"Actually there is something." Rachel bit her lip. "It would make me incredibly happy." She added for good measure.

"What is it darling?"

"I-I want to go outside." Immediately she felt him tense around her. "I want to be able to see grass and breathe in the fresh air. I want to see the sun." Rachel added quickly.

"Rachel," He said warningly. "You know I can't do that. Someone will recognize you or you, you might even run away." He tightened his grip on her hand and his eyes bore into hers as if to see what she was really thinking.

"I'll do anything please! I'll even wear a disguise!" She pleaded.

"And what about leaving?"

"I-I promise I won't leave you. I'll never leave you." She whispered as she placed her head on his chest right above his heart. She could even hear it beating.

"I'll think about it Rachel."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Fifty-three days missing**

Puck walked into the school gym by himself. He had to chuckle when her saw the decorations. Since Brittany was class president she decided that the theme should be a barnyard. He heard that she wanted real pigs but Figgins vetoed that idea as soon as he heard about it.

"You came!" Brittany yelled as she bounded over to him. She was dressed in a denim overall dress with her hair curled and pinned up in a red bandana. "San said you might not but I knew you would." She linked arms with him and led him toward a group of Glee kids.

"Hey man." Mike clapped him on his back. He and Tina were wearing matching plaid shirts, jeans, and cowboy boots. "Finn, Sam, and I were gunna go to Azmino's after for some homecoming pranks." He wiggled his eyebrows at Puck. "You in?" Usually Puck was organizing ways to piss off the football player. Last year they filled water balloons with pee and threw them at his house. It was hilarious until the idiot's mother came out shaking a baseball bat.

"I guess." He shrugged.

"Cool." Finn offered him a grin. "We haven't seen you in such a long time. Since you decided to bail on Glee." He added almost bitterly.

"I didn't bail." Puck argued. "I just didn't want to pretend that shit was okay when it wasn't." He said hotly.

"Yeah well when you decide to stop acting like such a—"

"Hey Puck! Come dance with me." Puck reluctantly allowed Quinn to pull him away from the guys. "Why are you always in the middle of something?" She shook her head.

"I can't help myself. Finnessa is just a dick sometimes." Quinn let out a loud laugh.

"Even if he is you can't start trouble over him. I worked really hard to get these decorations up with Brittany and I am not letting you get kicked out of homecoming." She told him sternly. Puck could really see the changes in Quinn since freshman year. She used to be self centered and a bitch but now she was actually making an effort to help people besides herself. He liked this new Quinn better.

"I love this song!" Quinn exclaimed when the DJ changes tunes.

_He was driving Rachel back to her house after a long day outside. It was one of those rare days that Rachel Berry actually wore shorts and a regular tank top. Somehow she had managed to talk him into taking her on a picnic. He blamed it on the fact that she had scary midget powers or that she looked super hot, either one worked. _

_He shifted the stick in his truck as he drove down the street. "Berry!" He turned his head to face her for a second and she quickly retracted her hand from his radio and looked at him innocently._

"_What Noah?" She looked at him sweetly. She knew exactly what she was doing. She knew he hated when people messed with things in his car but she obviously didn't care. He narrowed his eyes at her before turning back to the road. "I don't like this song Noah!" She pouted from the passenger seat and from the corner of his eye he could see her bottom lip jutting out. He had to admit that the song was fucking terrible but he still didn't want to give into her, she would act smug the whole way home if he did. "Noah!" She whined again._

"_Fine you can change it but no Broadway shit." He grumbled and she excitedly reached out for the dial again. _

"_I love this song!" She turned the volume dial up more and Puck cringed when __**Call Me Maybe**__ blared through the speakers._

"_No." He told her without taking his eyes off the road. "Change it." _

"_But I like it Noah." He suddenly felt her fingers dancing along his inner thighs. Taking in a sharp breath he figured that if he let her keep the stupid song on he could probably get her to pay him back later. _

_Honestly though, he probably would have let her keep it on anyways. He liked seeing her smile._

Instead of getting angry like he usually did when someone mentioned Rachel or did something that reminded him of her Puck just held Quinn closer and smiled. "So Puck." Quinn spoke against his chest. "I was wondering if you would come in and help me perform a song in Glee." She looked up at him hopefully.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"How did you come up with _Get it Right_?" The man asked her one night suddenly. He had been working on his papers and Rachel had been concentrating on an English book.

"Excuse me?" Rachel looked up at him.

"The song, I know you wrote it and I was curious as to how you came up with it." He explained.

"Oh it was inspired by a girl putting me down." That's the answer Rachel gave to everyone when they asked her the same types of questions. They all blindly accepted her answer because it wasn't uncommon for someone to say something rude or nasty to her at the time.

"That's it?" He didn't look like he believed her.

"Yes." Rachel went back to her book.

"It was Quinn, wasn't it?" Rachel stopped writing and looked back up at him. _How could he know something like that? _"She was always awful to you, always trying to put you down to build herself up." He remarked.

"I know all about the bullying you had to deal with Rachel and I know how hard that must have been for you. All the dirty pictures in the bathroom, the comments, the slushies."

"That all stopped." Rachel remarked as she fiddled with her pen. She hated talking about the bullying. She even avoided talking to her fathers about it and usually played it off as a joke.

"I know it did but it could have started right back up again at any moment. Your so called friends would have been right in the center of it."

"N-no they wouldn't have." Rachel stuttered.

"How do you know they were even really your friends?" He asked.

"They all accepted me. They were my friends." Rachel insisted but the man didn't look convinced.

"Are you sure about that Rachel? They've all used you before. They've used you to win, to make people jealous, and to humiliate you. How do you know that wouldn't happen again?"

"It wouldn't!" Rachel's voice rose.

"Huh, what about those boys you surrounded yourself with Rachel? Finn? He used you from the beginning. He cheated on his pregnant girlfriend with you! And let's look at Jesse; he used you to get to your team. Oh! And let's not forget about Puckerman." He growled. "The boy started all the abuse! He used to humiliate you and you just forgave him!"

It was true that Rachel had forgiven Puck for the bullying. She had forgiven everyone a long time ago.

"Everyone deserves a second chance." She told him calmly.

"Not everyone does Rachel."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Well you've done it Rachel." The man poked his head into her room one night. "I just can't seem to say no to you about anything." He held up a drug store bag. Rachel's brows furrowed. She had no idea as to what the man was referring to. He was smiling at her and waving the bag around so she jumped off her bed and snatched the bag away.

Suddenly a giant grin broke out over her face. She had left the man along about her pervious requests of leaving because she didn't want to make him angry and when he never mentioned it again she figured it was out of the question.

Inside the bag was a box of hair dye, a pair of giant sunglasses and some make up. "Can I do it today?" She asked excitedly as she looked over the box. "Blonde?" She questioned with a raise of her eyebrow.

"I've always wonder what you would look like as a blonde." He admitted sheepishly. She had never done anything like this before. The man helped her read the directions on the box and helped her apply the dye to her hair. After she washed the dye out the man held up a pair of scissors. "I want to make it a little shorter, is that okay?"

Rachel tugged on her hair. It came down to her mid back and she hadn't got it cut in a while so she shook her head yes. She didn't have any other choice but to trust the man with her hair. When he was finally done her hair had dried and Rachel turned to face the mirror in her bathroom. He mouth fell open when she saw her reflection.

It would definitely take some getting used to. She was glad that she took the man's advice and added some dye to her dark eyebrows; it evened everything out some how. She had to admit though that she didn't look as bad as she thought she would. The blonde stood out against her naturally olive skin and the man thankfully didn't cut off too much of her hair, it reached to a little past her shoulders.

"You look beautiful Rachel. Not that you didn't before but the blonde makes you look like a California beach model." He smirked at her; it was very Puck-like.

Suddenly she couldn't help herself and Rachel threw herself into the man's arms and he managed to catch her before they both fell over. Their faces where close, so close that if she wanted to all Rachel had to do was tilt her chin up and their lips would be touching. "Thank you for doing this for me." She whispered.

Truthfully she didn't know if she was thanking him for the hair or for something else entirely.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Sixty-four days missing.**

"Puck?" Schuester paused mid sentence to address the student walking through the doors into the choir room. "What are you doing here?"

"I can answer that." Quinn floated down the steps to join Puck in the center of the room. "Puck has agreed to sing a song with me. It has to do with the lesson this week Mr. Schue." Quinn promised.

The teacher held out his arms to offer them the stage before taking a seat on the piano. "So this week I know the lesson was positivity and I invited Puck to help me out." Quinn handed some sheet music to Brad the piano man. She gave Puck one last encouraging smile before the music started and she opened her mouth and Puck followed.

_I see trees of green, red roses too  
I see them bloom, for me and you  
And I think to myself  
What a wonderful world_

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white  
The bright blessed day, dark sacred night  
And I think to myself  
What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow, so pretty in the sky

_Are also on the faces, of people going by  
I see friends shaking hands, sayin', "How do you do?"  
They're really sayin', "I love you"_

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow  
They'll learn much more, than I'll ever know  
And I think to myself  
What a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself  
What a wonderful world  
Oh yeah

"That was great guys." Schue clapped along with the rest of the Glee club. Quinn threw her arms around Puck's neck and he could feel her smiling against him. In that moment Puck realized something. Schue wasn't trying to get them to sing to pretend everything was okay and that the whole Rachel situation didn't matter, he was trying to help them get through all the feelings they were dealing with.

"Mr. Schue? If it's okay with you I'd really like to come back."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel was ecstatic. It had been over a week since the man agreed to take her out and they changed her hair. He had been so busy lately that he was leaving for work early and coming home late. Rachel didn't have the heart to ask him again. But finally today he promised he would come home early and he would take her into town.

"Rach? You ready?" Her sunglasses were perched on top of her head as she strolled out of her room trying to control herself. "You're adorable." He chuckled and tapped her nose. "Now I need you to listen to me before we leave okay?"

"Of course." The door was open a crack and Rachel could see the sunlight streaming in.

"I want you by my side at all times." He looked at her sternly. "You are not to talk to anyone, in fact don't even look at anyone directly. Remember what I told you before Rachel, if you even think about running I won't hesitate to hurt the people you care about." He threatened and the look on Rachel face told her he wasn't kidding. Rachel bit her lip and nodded. "Alright Rachel." He let out a nervous breath.

Rachel gave him an encouraging smile before she slipped her sunglasses down and linked her fingers with his. She sighed and closed her eyes the second the sun hit her skin. She felt warm all over. When she opened her eyes she finally got a good look at her surroundings. The front of the house was simple and painted white with trees and bushes around the yard which was green with plush grass. "It's amazing." Rachel said aloud. He led her to his car which was actually pretty nice. Puck used to talk about 'badass' cars with her so she knew a few things.

"I got it right before you came to live with me." He explained when he saw her eying the car. "It's a Mustang."

"I know." Rachel told him proudly. Her fingers danced along the car before stopping on the door handle. "Are you ready?"

It took them a while to reach any sort of real buildings. Before that all Rachel could see was trees and grass and a whole lot of nothing. There were fields and even a few cows. "Are we by the Everglades?"

"No the Everglades are farther South." He kept both hands on the wheel and Rachel just enjoyed the ride, it was smooth and it was a beautiful day. It took them a little less than an hour to arrive near regular buildings.

"It's so pretty here." Rachel breathed out. The buildings looked rustic and quaint. "I always thought New York was the only beautiful city in the world but this is amazing." Rachel gushed as she bounced excitedly in her seat. "Can we go in there?" She felt like a child, begging to get her way.

"Somehow I knew you would want to go there." The man laughed as he rounded the corner and pulled into a spot. "Remember everything I said Rachel. Oh and there's one more thing. You're name is no longer Rachel Berry, from now on its—"

"Can I be Patti?" Rachel blurted out. "Or Kristin? Or Idina?"

"Silly Rachel." He stroked her cheek. "Alright Patti." He smirked at her.

She practically ran from the car towards the shop with the man trailing quickly behind her. "Stop!" He hissed as he grabbed her hand and Rachel immediately slowed down. They walked hand in hand into the music store and Rachel couldn't keep the grin off her face. Rachel noticed the man keeping a sharp eye on her as she walked up and down the aisles.

"Is there anything I can help you with?" An older woman approached and Rachel shot a panicked glance to the man who raised his eyebrows at her as if to urge her to do something.

"N-no." Rachel coughed and tried to lower her voice. "No I'm just looking." She adjusted her sunglasses and wandered back towards the man and grabbed his hand. She wanted him to trust her.

"Did you see anything you wanted sweetheart?" He smiled down at her.

"They did have copy of the_ Singing in the Rain_ soundtrack." Rachel told him casually.

"Go get it." He gently pushed her back towards the aisle where Rachel picked up a copy.

"You guys all ready?" The same woman asked. She was a larger woman who was dressed from head to toe in red, it gave Rachel a headache but she seemed sweet. The man handed her a bill and she gave him a bag in return which he handed to Rachel.

"Thank you." Rachel let her fingers grip his forearm.

"Your welcome darling."

"Oh how sweet. You two make an adorable couple." The woman gushed.

Rachel then caught sights of something else in the window of a store across the street and tugged on the man's arm. Rachel had to admit that he was patient with her as she went from store to store. She felt free again and happy. When he eventually decided to go home Rachel tiredly agreed and fell asleep in the car. When she woke up she found herself in her bed with _Fit as a Fiddle_ playing softly lulling her back to sleep.

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**The song was What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. Review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I don't own Glee, the characters, or any songs, books, or movies mentioned.**

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Rachel was lying on her back basking in the Florida sunshine, it was glorious. The man had just finished mowing the law and was sitting on the front step leading up to the porch of the house. "Don't you love how soft the grass feels after someone cuts it?" She wasn't necessarily expecting a reply but still. "You know, sometimes when I was little before my dreams of Broadway emerged I would dream about having a house like this. I wanted the white picket fence and little babies running around. Oh! I also wanted a dog, a Yorkshire terrier. It had to be one of those." Rachel emphasized. She turned crimson when she heard the man laughing lightly at her.

"You couldn't be more perfect."

Propping herself up on her elbows so she could clearly see the man her brows furrowed. "Do you remember when you said that not everyone deserves a second chance?" The only indication that he heard her was the small nod he gave her. "Well I was wondering when a person knows exactly who deserves the second chance." She asked out of no where.

"I guess when you realize that the person is never going to change; even though you want them to they won't because they don't realize how badly they're hurting you. You know when you realize that you would rather live with the pain of whatever they did to you then forgive them and take the chance of them doing it again." He shrugged. "In all honesty though, I think we depend on people making bad choices or hurting us. Their actions shape us into the people we are."

Rachel cocked her head. She wanted to know what was going on in that man's mind. She wanted to know who shaped him. "Who shaped you?" She breathed out.

"I wasn't really honest with you before Rachel. I did have family when my parents died; my mom's brother took me in. He never wanted me around. He started drinking and he was so angry. He would come home from the bars and take that anger out on me." The man shuddered.

"He blamed me for the fact that his sister was dead. He beat me pretty bad most days; I would go to school with black eyes and split lips. One time he came home after a long night at the bar and took a knife out of the cabinet, the bastard almost killed me that night. I guess one day my teachers had enough and called social services and I was placed in foster care. I don't see him anymore and he sure as hell doesn't try to contact me and I'm fine with that. I used to blame him but after a while I learned to appreciate him for the bastard he was."

Rachel didn't know why she felt tears prickling up in her eyes. She wasn't supposed to feel bad for _him._ She was supposed to hate him but something in her made that impossible. "At school I was supposed to be self assured, determined, demanding, take no prisoners Rachel Berry. I never wanted anyone to know how badly they hurt me when they threw things at me or said dirty things about me so when I-I started dating Jesse I was even more determined to find my way."

She got up and went to sit next to the man who was looking at her strangely, it made her stomach flip. "Everyone thought the egg incident," Rachel paused to gage the man's reaction. The way he cringed made Rachel believe that he knew exactly what she was taking about. "Was the first time Jesse did something like to me."

"Sometimes he would get so mad at me. He would tell me that my voice was never going to be enough, that together we would make it but apart I was nothing, a waste of a big voice. H-he would shove me sometimes, like when I didn't get the routines we were working on right the first time. He even hit me in the face one time. It's a good thing I was good at stage makeup." A breeze blew and Rachel caught a whiff on the man. He smelled like grass, sweat, and Rachel distinctly smelled oranges.

"After the egg incident we stopped talking and he left me alone but I-I've never told anyone about what really happened between us. I wasn't supposed to let things like that happen to me; I was always supposed to be the strong one. I never even told my daddies." Rachel whispered letting the tears that had appeared earlier freely fall.

"Oh Rachel." The man sighed as she placed his hand gently on her cheek. "I wish I could have been there to protect you from everything bad in this world." He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Dear Noah,_

_The man sounds like you when he laughs. In a lot of ways he reminds me of you, I don't know why but he does. He and I talked today. It's funny how I've opened up more to this man than I have to anyone else in my entire life. When we stopped talking he kissed me on the forehead, is it terrible of me to say that I wished he would have gone lower?_

_Love, Rachel_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Rachel could have told the man that the small tickle in the back of his throat was not just going to go away. She was Rachel Berry and more often than not she was right. She felt sorry for him when he came home from work looking worn out and extremely under the weather. He could barely talk over the coughing and when he finally did his voice was hoarse and raspy.

He didn't eat dinner with her instead he opted to go straight to bed. It didn't really bother her until she was about to settle into bed and she heard groans and whimpers. The man had left his door open and it sounded like he was really having a hard time. Biting her lip she did what she would have done for anyone, she prepared a cold wash cloth and hesitantly entered his room. His huge body was contorted into a ball and he was tossing and turning. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead but he was clutching his blanket around his whole body.

She tentatively placed the washcloth against his burning forehead. She pressed it there for a few moments before the man's eyes flew open and he was hazily gazing up at her. "Hey." His voice was thick with sleep.

"Hi." Rachel gave him a small smile. "How do you feel?"

"Like shit." He rasped out.

"I'm sorry. I know I hate being sick." Rachel patted the cloth around the man's neck and cheeks to cool him off. "Do you want more medicine?"

"No, I took some before I went to bed."

"Okay well I put some juice on the nightstand." He glanced over at the glass of Ginger Ale on his nightstand. "I hope you feel better." She whispered.

"Goodnight Rachel."

"Goodnight." She turned and began to leave.

"Rachel." His voice made her halt and turn slightly back towards him. "Why don't you ever say my name? I don't think you've ever said it." He actually sounded sad.

He was right though. She had never once said the man's name. She figured that if she called him it everything would become more personal, more real. "Will you say it? Please?" His eyes looked at her pleadingly. She went back to the edge of his bed and knelt down.

"Jason." She whispered and she could instantly see his smile radiating though the dark room.

"I love you my sweet Rachel." He mumbled back.

Rachel kind of figured that if all the man wanted from her was love, it was something she could give to him.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_We have breaking news straight from the Lima Police Department. Due to the recent rise of organized violent crimes in Kenton and Bellefontaine the police department has decided to halt the search for missing teen Rachel Berry. There have been no leads on the girl's disappearance and she has been missing for over two months. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the girl's family during this difficult time. We'll keep you posted._

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Seventy-six days missing**

Puck had finally gathered his courage and his balls and decided to go to the Berry residence. He was really fucking pissed when he heard the news earlier in the week. Really he was heart broken but the Puckasaurus didn't do anything that had to do with his heart. Just thinking about it made him want to vomit.

Thankfully Rachel's dad, Leroy, the African American one opened just in time before Puck could escape. "Puck?" He looked surprised to see the boy standing on his front porch. Puck could see that the man's eyes were swollen and bloodshot. "Come in." He moved aside to allow Puck to enter the house. "Do you want something to drink?" Puck shook his head as they both made their way through the Berry household.

It was in perfect condition. Every little thing was in its place. The whole house was utterly spotless. "Hiram went a little crazy with the cleaning last night. He's at the office right now." Leroy sighed. "We took off work as much as we could but they started saying they might replace us if we didn't start showing up and we need the money." Hiram worked as a chiropractor at little business just outside of Lima. Apparently he was like super important in that circle of professionals and was always traveling to give speeches and stuff; well that's what Rachel told him anyways. Leroy worked at the local law firm.

"I'm sorry." Puck blurted out.

"Things have been really difficult for us. Hiram seems to be coping differently than I am. He's always trying to find things to keep himself busy and he has such a short temper these days. Last night he yelled at me for fifteen minutes about dish soap."

"This whole thing is so fucking unfair." Puck instantly cringed. He knew Rachel and her fathers hated cursing and usually he refrained from doing it around the men but this time it just slipped out. "Sorry." He added almost sheepishly.

"It's alright Puck." Leroy chuckled. "I agree the whole situation is fucked up." Puck's eyes widened. He had never heard one of Rachel's fathers say anything worse than fudge, and even that was a big deal. "I miss Rachel with every fiber of my being. She's my baby girl, my princess, my world. I pray that she comes home safely every second of everyday."

"I'm not stupid. I know the police think she's dead. They have no witnesses and no evidence but I keep praying that she's going to burst through those doors one day ranting like she always does. I also know my daughter and if she really is d-dead then I know she wouldn't want us to give up. I know she wouldn't want us to wallow in pity and sadness. She would want us to pick up the pieces of our broken lives and put them back together. She would want each and every one of us to be happy, especially that Glee club and especially you Puck." Leroy placed his hand on Puck's shoulder.

"God I'm sorry Puck. I can't believe I just bombarded you with all that. I've just wanted to get that off my chest for a while and Hiram literally looks like he's going to rip off my head if I so much as mention Rachel."

"No, no it's okay. I'm glad you got to tell someone."

"I'm being so rude! Did you have a reason for stopping by Puck? Was there something you needed?"

"Actually I was going to ask you for a favor but never mind, it would be wrong of me to ask anyways." Puck shrugged and Leroy looked at him sternly.

"What was it Puck? How many times have we told you that we don't do shy in this house?" He smiled at him sadly.

"Well I was actually hoping that I could have a picture." Puck rushed out.

"A picture?" Leroy looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, a picture of me and Rachel. I know she has some tacked to that board above her desk. I totally understand though if you don't want me to have one." Puck quickly added. He was acting like a total pansy.

"Come with me." Puck followed him to her room.

Everything was exactly like Puck remembered. Her bed was made and just like the rest of the house, it was spotless. It looked like no one had touched anything in the room. "We decided to keep everything the same in case she, she comes home." Leroy spoke up behind him. "You can take anyone you'd like. Just don't tell Hiram I was the one to let you have it." Puck nodded before stepping hesitantly into the room. He didn't want to disturb anything. The room was everything Rachel was. It was bright and colorful and happy, it even still smelled like her. It was intoxicating.

Looking at the board Puck finally chose one of him and Rachel. Her fathers had taken it while neither of them were looking. Rachel was sitting on the edge of the Berry pool while her legs dangled in. Puck was leaning against her legs as she smiled down at him. He could only see half of her face but she was beautiful, anyone could tell that by just looking at the picture. Puck liked that they looked so carefree, that she looked so happy. She deserved all the happiness in the world and before Puck thought he might be the one who was able to give her that.

"That one's my favorite too." Leroy placed his hand on Puck's shoulder again. "And remember what I said before Puck. Rachel would want you to be happy; she would want you to follow your dreams."

When he got home that night Puck slid the photo into his wallet. He could have a little piece of Rachel Berry with him all the time now.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Dear Noah,_

_The man lets me go outside sometimes. It's nice most of the time. It rains at night still but the days are full of warmth and sunshine. I never thought I would like the heat so much. I guess it's because I've never really been anywhere like this before. The first time we went out all I thought about was running away. I don't think like that anymore Noah. Now I think about how if I ran would he catch me? And if he did, would I mind?_

_Forever yours, Rachel_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Eighty-three days missing**

Puck knew exactly where to find the duo he was looking for. Rachel had dragged him on numerous occasions to the lame ass coffee shop that didn't even serve good freaking coffee. Sure enough he saw Porcelain and the Wonder Twin sitting together chatting away.

"Yo Blaine, Beyonce." Puck greeted as he approached their table ignoring the dirty looks Kurt was shooting him for using his nickname. Both Kurt and Rachel had tried to get him to nix the name calling but old habits die hard for him.

"Why Puckerman, to what do we owe this honor?" Kurt folded his hands together and crossed his legs in a very ladylike fashion.

"I was hoping I could talk to you two." Puck told them as he took a seat across from the pair.

"Oh god, do you want a make over?" Kurt suddenly asked. Now he was ignoring the disguised look Puck was sending him. "Because while the jock look suits you I totally believe wholeheartedly that you could pull off nerd chic." Kurt told him nodding his head vigorously.

"You're out your fucking mind if you think I came here for a fucking makeover. I'm a stud, have you seen my guns?" Puck raised an eyebrow. _Yes Noah, your arms are quite lovely._ Rachel's voice echoed through his mind.

"Fine." Kurt huffed. "Then what do you want Puckerman."

"Word on the street is that Fancy Pants is heading to the Big Apple after graduation and that you're following right after." Puck addressed Blaine who looked like he didn't know where he was going with this.

"Yes Puckerman that is the plan." Kurt said dryly. "I still don't understand why you're here bugging us." Kurt folded his arms.

"Well I hoping that you might be open to me tagging along," Puck ran his fingers through his Mohawk. "Kurt?"

"Why New York?" Kurt squinted at him like he was trying to read his mind.

"Because," Puck says easily. "That's where Rachel wanted to be. That's where my dreams are taking me."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

_Dear Noah,_

_I fell asleep on his coach last night. It smelled exactly like oranges just like he usually does. I remembered my first real dream since I've been here. You were there Noah. You and I were together and it was beautiful. We were in Alaska for some unknown reason, you were a fisherman and I was the stunning songstress who sang in all the local bars. It was funny Noah; the whole Glee club was there and I vividly remember Sam was a merman. I woke up laughing so loudly that the man rushed into my room to make sure I was okay. I miss everyone so much it hurts sometimes Noah and I can hardly stand it._

_Love, Rachel_

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"You were right!" Rachel gasped. "This place is gorgeous!" She twirled around in the brand new dress the man had purchased for her recently. After he had gotten better he told her that he felt so bad for being such a drag and no fun that he was going to make it up to her by taking her someplace special.

At first Rachel had been nervous. They were on the road longer then any other time she had been out with him but her fear quickly dissolved when she caught sight of horses and homes. He explained that they were on a reservation and Rachel had never been anywhere like it in her entire life.

"I told you so." He smirked at her. They were walking down the path looking in the windows of small one person owned stores that had everything from traditional Native American attire to cheap tourist dream catchers.

"This reminds me of _Oklahoma_." Rachel sighed. "_All the cattle are standin' like statues, they don't turn their heads as they see me ride by, but a little brown mav'rick is winkin' her eye. Oh, what a beautiful mornin', oh, what a beautiful day_. _I've got a beautiful feelin', everything's goin' my way."_ Rachel softly sang out and smiled when she felt the man link their fingers together.

"_All the sounds of the earth are like music, all the sounds of the earth are like music, the breeze is so busy it don't miss a tree. An' a ol' weepin' willer is laughin' at me. Oh, what a beautiful Mornin', oh, what a beautiful day."_

There didn't seem to be really any other people around, just a few here or there and Rachel thought it made the man calmer that way. It was a Wednesday anyways, who goes out at ten in the morning during the week when people usually had work.

"It just like _Annie Go Get Your Gun!_" Rachel exclaimed when she saw the authentic hunting gear. "It's like we could be out on the plains or in the wild."

"_When I'm with a pistol, I sparkle like a crystal, yes, I shine like the morning sun_." She continued to sing as they walked around, hand in hand. "_But I lose all my luster, when with a Bronco Buster. Oh you can't get a man with a gun._"

"I really like it h—"

"Excuse me sir." The two of them turned around and Rachel could feel the man digging his fingers into hers when he saw it was a cop who was talking to him. It was one of the reservation police officers, one hired to make sure nothing happened at the casino Rachel had seen a few miles back up the road. "I need to speak with you and your friend." He gestured to Rachel. His fingers were still digging into her as they followed the cop to his squad car where another officer was located.

"Why don't you come talk to me over here ma'am?" The second officer spoke to Rachel who immediately turned to face the man.

"I don't understand what the problem is officers, we haven't done anything wrong." The man snapped when the first officer tried to lead him away from Rachel."

"If you haven't done anything wrong what's the harm in talking to us?" Giving up he mouthed out the word 'remember' to Rachel and she reluctantly joined the other officer out of earshot of the man.

"So sweetheart, what's your name?" The office positioned her so she couldn't see the man and other officer.

"Patti. Patti Wilson." She answered quickly trying to keep her voice low. The man had gone over this numerous times with her before.

"Patti." The officer clicked his tongue. "So Patti who is that guy you were with?" His eyes were studying her. She was beyond thankful that she still had her large sunglasses to shield her eyes.

"H-he's my friend."

"Just a friend?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes. Now may I go? We have done nothing wrong and I demand a reason as to why I am being questioned." Rachel all but stomped her feet.

"So what are you two doing here?" He ignored her demands.

"We don't live here if that's what you're asking. We like to travel. We're traveling around." Rachel tried to satisfy him so he would leave her alone. She didn't want to risk putting other people in danger because she gave a wrong answer.

"Traveling." He repeated. "Why don't you take your sunglasses off for me?" He urged. Biting her lip Rachel gave him a quick shrug. The officer leaned against his squad car. "Rachel." The man said softly. "Are you Rachel Berry?" Tensing up Rachel violently shook her head no.

"My name is Patti Wilson. Patti Wilson!" She chanted as she clutched her sides.

"You don't have to hide anymore Rachel. Someone heard you singing and recognized your voice Rachel. Your parents and many others have been searching for you; you were all over the news. Please let us help you." He begged. "You dads went on the news begging for you to come home safely. We can keep you safe from him."

"I-I'm her." She breathed out. The officer gently brought his hand out and took the glasses from her face. He immediately recognized that face.

"You're safe now Rachel Berry. You're safe and you're going home you precious girl." He grasped her shoulder as tears fell down her cheeks.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

**Ninety-six days missing**

Puck was sitting in the choir room during his lunch period. He had started going there to work on his college applications in peace. His guitar was placed on the seat next to him as he wrote. He was going to New York and he was going to make something of himself. All his confidence was because of Rachel Barbra Berry.

"Puck! Puck!" Quinn bounded into the choir room completely out of breath.

"Geez Fabray where's the fire?"

"Didn't you hear Puck?"

"Hear what?" He asked as he stood up. Quinn seriously looked like she was about to pass out.

She flashed him a wide smile. "They found her Puck."

**::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

**Review! The songs mentioned were **_**Oh What a Beautiful Morning**_** from Oklahoma and **_**You Can't Get a Man with a Gun**_** from Annie Get Your Gun.**


End file.
